Pattern wheel



Sept. 29, 1936. H, A K 2,055,598

PATTERN WHEEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 17, 1935 \NVENTOR Harry A alnek ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1936. AGULNEK 2,055,598

PATTERN WHEEL Filed Dec. 1'7, 1935 2 Sheets-+Sheet 2 24 m W mm \NVENTOR Harry Ayuhwk ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PATTERN WHEEL Harry Agulnek,

Samuel Mishcon, Knitting Machine Brooklyn,

00., Brooklyn, N Y

Application December 17, 1935, Serial No. 54,823

4 Claims.

This invention relates to knitting machines having pattern or design wheels adapted to accommodate jacks at more than one level, so as to eiTect elevations of the eoacting needles to certain predetermined levels.

cognizance is taken of the fact that various forms of pattern wheels have been devised for performing the aforesaid function, but as one skilled in the art it has been my observation that such devices have generally been relatively intricate in structure, and requiring excessive care in fabrication and assembling to insure free and unobstructed travel of the needle butts through the slots of the wheel. It is within the contemplation of this invention to overcome these drawbacks by enabling a simple unitary wheel to operatively accommodate, with a minimum of adjustment, jacks or inserts at two levels so as to elevate the needles either to the knit-off position, above the sinker level, or to below the latch clearing level or tuck position, and to permit unelevated needles to pass through the wheel to be depressed, if desired, by an intermediate or auxiliary cam, to an inactive welt position; and it is my further object to accomplish this purpose by the use of a single wheel provided, in one form of my invention, with two oppositely positioned plates, and in another form with a. single plate for holding the two sets of jacks in their proper relative positions, the wheel containing peripheral slots extending uninterruptedly across the width of the wheel for permitting the unobstructed passage therethrough of coacting needles.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings and the description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a semi-diagrammatic view showing a section of the cylindrically disposed needles and illustrating the relative positions of the pattern Wheel constituting my invention and the knitting machine cams.

Figure 2 is an elevation of a portion of the knitting machine looking from the cylinder thereof, showing the pattern wheel, lifting cam, intermediate or auxiliary cam, and stitch cam.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the knitting machine, showing the pattern wheel constituting my invention in operative position.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view looking from the cylinder outwardly showing the relative positions of the needle butts, pattern wheel slot walls, and a number of inserts at two different levels.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of one form of the pattern wheel, showing two plates and two sets of inserts in place.

Figure 6 is a partial section of a modified form of pattern wheel.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary section of another form of my invention, showing inserts at two different levels supported from one side of the wheel.

Figure 8 is a diagrammtic side view of the device of Figure 7 showing the inserts in their respective positions within the slots.

Figure 9 is a plan view of the pattern wheel of Figure 5, with fragments removed, and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary perspective of a peripheral portion of the slotted disc constituting part of the pattern wheel.

In'the drawings, the inclined pattern wheel H1 is suitably mounted upon the section I I which is secured to the cam ring I 2. Circumferentially disposed about the wheel are the slots l3 formed by the walls M extending completely across the width of the wheel to provide a continuous and unobstructed passageway for the butts l5 of the needles I6 operatively mounted on the cylinder. The rotation of the cylinder in the direction of the arrows (see Figure 4) will cause an intermeshing of the butts of the needles with the slotted walls of the wheel, in conventional manner, effect a lifting of the needles wherever the said needle butts operatively encounter jacks or inserts such as those identified by the numerals I la, I11), I10, "it, He, [8a, I81), I80, |8d and I86,- and to permit a continuous path of the butts passing through unfilled slots until they engage a depressing cam such as the auxiliary or intermediate cam l9, or the stitch cam 20 (Figure 2).

The pattern wheel constituting this invention, being of the type adapted to selectively raise needles to either of two predetermined levels, has been devised to operatively accommodate two sets of inserts at different positions, the slots being made wide enough for wheel being provided with detachable retaining means to hold said inserts in place, all as will be more specifically hereinafter described.

By referring to Figure 5, it will be seen that the wheel consists of a peripherally slotted disc 2| having circular recesses 22 and 23 on the upper and lower faces thereof, respectively, communicating with the slots l3 of the wheeL-and the upper and lower plates 24 and 25, respectively, detachably secured to the disc by the screws 26 and 27 and employed as retaining means. for holding the jacks or inserts 28 and 29 in place. In this form of my invention, the insert 28 can be of the conventional type as shown, the plate 24 having an enlarged or beaded peripheral portion 30 engageable with the inner enlarged portion 3| of, the jack to prevent an outward radial movement of the said insert; and the lower insert 29 is of substantially z-shaped construction, the inner portion thereof extending upwardly and inwardly within the recess 23 of the-disc, the plate 25 underlying the inwardly extending arm 32 of the insert 29. It will be noted that the lower surface of said plate 25 is substantially flush with the lowermost portions of the inserts 29, and

that the screws 21 are countersunk, thereby presenting a relatively fiat and smooth lower face for the wheel.

Instead of employing the two forms of inserts shown in Figure 5, the modified form of Figure 6 can be used. Here the upper 33 and 34 are of the same shape and size, being substantially Z-shaped in form, but reversible for operative positioning. When placed on the upper portion of the wheel, the short arm 35' extends inwardly and is in engagement with the plate; 36. 4 In the lower position, the long arm 31 extends is employed, the method of operation and the structural advantages are identical. An important feature in both constructions is the use of a single slotted disc, the peripheral walls of which extend across its entire width to form a plurality of continuous. slots to permit the uninterrupted passage therethrough of the needles. Both faces of the disc have means thereon for operatively accommodating and retaining the inserts, which are selectively positioned to effect a predetermined design.

Another form of my invention is illustrated in Figures '7 and 8 which show a construction retaining the aforesaid feature of the continuous unobstructed slots but which vdiifers from the two forms above described in that a single plate is employed on one face of the disc for retaining both sets of inserts. Both sets of jacks are inserted from the top of the wheel, as is apparent from Figure '7, in which the upper inserts 23 are of the standard type, and the lower level inserts 44 each contain the leg 45 extending downwardly within the slot so that the butt-engaging or operative terminals 36 are at a lower level than the corresponding terminals of the inserts 43. In this form of. my invention the plate 41 is effective in operatively retaining both sets of inserts in place-no bottom plate being necessary. Another advantage of this construction is the comparative facility with which the two sets of jacks can be inserted into their proper slots, the probability of inserting two jacks in the same slot being considerably minimized, particularly because they are inserted from one visible side of the wheel.

In the operation of the device, it will be seen, by referring to Figures 1 and 4, that the needles can occupy one of three different positions,-the knit-oi? position, above the sinker level, identified by the level do, effected by the upper inserts Ila, lib, ilc, lid and lie, the below latch-clear ing or tuck position indicated by level 4 l, effected by thelower inserts i811, i817, I80, l8d, and l8e, and the unelevated position 42 maintained by needles passing through slots without inserts to be depressed to an inactive knitting position by suitable cam means such as the auxiliary cam l9.

It will also be observed that the jacks can be quicklyand readily inserted in place without any special adjusting operation except that of. operaand lower; inserts tively securing the top and bottom plates in place in the case of the two first-mentioned forms of my invention, or the top plate in the case of the last-mentioned form.

It is of course understood that the various embodiments above described and shown in the drawings are illustrative of my invention and not employed by way of limitation, inasmuch as numerous changes and modifications may be made "within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What I claim is:

l.- In a knitting machine, a pattern wheel comprising a disc having continuous peripheral slots thereon extending uninterruptedly across the entire width of the disc, said: slots being of a width sufficient to operatively accommodate at two levels thereof the terminal portions of two sets of needle-elevating inserts, inserts at one of said levels for elevating coacting needles to a knit-01f position, other inserts at the other of said levels for. elevating coacting needles to a position below latch-clearing level, and retaining means on one face of said disc operatively holding the inserts in place.

2. In a knitting machine, a pattern wheel comprising a disc having continuous peripheral slots thereon extending uninterruptedly across the entire width of the disc, said slots being of a width sufficient to operatively accommodate at two levels thereof the terminal portions of two sets of needle-elevating.inserts, the upper face of the disc having an annular recessed portion adjacent the periperal portion thereof andcommunicating with the slots therein, inserts within certain of said slots at both of said levels for operatively elevating coacting needles, the inwardly extending portions of. said inserts being positioned within said recessed portion, and a plate detachahly secured to said upper face of the disc and in engagement with said inserts for operatively holding .them in place.

3. In a knitting machine, a pattern wheel comprising a disc having continuous peripheral slots thereon extending uninterruptedly across the entire width of the disc, said slots being of a width sufficient to operatively accommodate at two levels thereof the terminal portions of two sets of needle-elevating inserts, the upper face of the disc having an annular recessed portion adjacent the peripheral portion thereof and communication with the slots therein, inserts within certain of said slots .at both of said levels for operatively elevating coacting needles, all of said inserts having inwardly extending portions positioned within said recessed portion, the set of lower level inserts each containing a leg extending downwardly within the corresponding slot of the wheel and having at the lower extremity thereof the butt-engaging terminal of the insert, and a plate detachably secured to said upper face of the discand in engagement with the said inwardly extending portions of all of said inserts for operatively holding them in place.

4. In a knitting machine, a pattern wheel comprising a disc having peripheral slots thereon of a width sufficient to operatively accommodate at a plurality of levels a corresponding number of sets of needle-elevating inserts, inserts at each of said levels for elevating coacting needles to predetermined posltions, and retaining means on one face of said disc operatively holding the inserts in place. 1 I

HARRY AGULNEK. 

